


Healing Summer

by Expressocoffee



Category: Batman - Fandom
Genre: Au | flower shop, Fluff, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia, Mention of abuse, NO CAPES, modern set
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 11:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11554677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Expressocoffee/pseuds/Expressocoffee
Summary: Jason decided to deal with his breakup in a different matter than most people would think, and going into a small town not far from Gotham was the perfect place. A change from scenery, a chance to breath and be disconnected from everyone he knows in the grand city. In the little town he settles in, he's surprised to have met three people, one of them being the flower shop boy, who nobody knows why he came to the small town one night but he's stayed since then.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a small town, and in small towns you had small option for clothing shops but a nice option on bars to drink. In the dim light of the bar, there was a lingering and permanent stench of cigarettes and cheap cologne. Then there was the chattering, some people talking to themselves in slurs, others laughing loudly, then there were people like Jason, not talking and drinking his heart out in the bartender isles, the light wood was very clean with no scratches.  
Jason liked small towns for many reasons: the bars were nice and quiet places compared to others, the people were very friendly and he was far away from his ex as possible. Of course, they were also the bad reasons for small towns like this one: everyone knew each other in some way, they get their nose in new resident’s lives, and many of them are extremely religious. Jason hoped this wasn’t a religious town.  
  
Jason was on his third shot, the burning feeling in his throat had numbed when he took the drink. He put his glass upside town, a clear indication to the redheaded bartender that he didn’t want another shot.  
  
“Done already?” The bartender asked, he was a very pretty redhead, his hair pulls back in a ponytail since it reached to the base of his neck. He was wearing a black muscle shirt that red _‘HIGHWAY TO HELL’ _in dark red and he wore a black hat to match it.__  
  
“Let me take a guess, bad breakup?” The bartender asked again, he was cleaning the area where Jason had put down his drink before he rested his elbows on the isle.  
Sometimes, Jason thanked bartenders who knew when someone was having a bad day. “You have no idea, he packed my bags and left them in the door.”  
“He?” The barista asked, and Jason knew he had stepped into a religious town.  
  
“Yeah, he, problem?” Jason was expecting a scowl from the barista, but Jason was relieved when he shrugged.  
  
“No, I swing in a way, you just don’t see a lot of them in town. They’re only two people now like us. The residents think the other one is the flower shop boy, although nobody really knows him well. He usually is cooped up in his shop when he works and then his house, residents think he’s gay since the mayor’s daughter got rejected, and she’s a beautiful black haired girl.” He explained, quickly changing the topic back to where it was originally. “So, he packed out your things? Like in a bag and everything?”  
  
“My clothes were even folded.” Jason grunted, rethinking if he should actually take another shot. “Know anywhere good to crash here barista?”  
  
“Roy,” The redheaded man said to him. “There’s Auntie Ann’s diner stay, it’s a decent place to stay and then there’s the offer of my place.”  
  
Jason snorted, and Roy smile, in a way, Jason thought he was serious but he decided to shrug it off. He got up from the stool and look for his wallet in his pocket.  
  
“Easy, they’re on the house.” Roy said to him and took a napkin from under the table along with a pen. “Here, have my number, call me if you need anything. Drive to the first stop light and then take a left, you’ll pass a patrol car and then see the diner for Auntie Ann’s diner stay.”  
  
Jason knew the least he could do was take the written napkin, who knows, it might be good to have a friend in his time in the small town.  
  
“Night Roy,” He said to the barista as he left the bar.  
  
The small town was cold, and Jason was glad he had his tan leather jacket on. Other shops across the street that were close to the bar were closed, there was a candy store, a thrift store and the flower shop Roy mentioned, but Roy didn’t mention that owner lived upstairs from the flower shop. He could see one light in the room, and he wondered if it was bad living across a bar, anyone could go and piss at your door step.  
  
“I think the drinks affecting me,” Jason took recognition of this when he had realized he stood in front of the bar staring at the flower shop.  
  
Jason can’t drive – he knows that much now, but he can walk and from what he remembered from Roy’s directions, it was just a stop light and a police car away, can’t be too far in a small town like this. He went to his car in the small parking lot, taking his two bags from the trunk and putting the alarm on the car.  
  
Before he thought of leaving, he leaned back on the trunk of the car and jammed his hand in his pocket fishing the cardboard box of cigarettes he carried, he hoped he hadn’t had smoked them all in his stress drive out of Gotham. He hit the button of the box with his hand, a small habit he’s always had, when he opened the box, he only found half a cigarette in the box, in over all, he was glad that he had something to relieve some tension.  
  
Jason knew he would have to buy more in the morning, but right now, it was worth getting the cold that the night gave him and to try and forget his ex. God knows he’s trying hard not to go over with a bottle of merlot and deep strings of apologies.  
  
“It’s not my fault,” He reminded himself, blowing away the smoke when he took a long drag. “Calm down Jay, just a month.”  
  
One more drag is what took for the cigarette to be dragged out clean, letting out the smoke, he stepped on the cigarette when he let it fall on the pavement.  
  
Walking way down the street, he made his way to the stop light and then the police patrol car that looked at him in a strange way, but didn’t bother asking him what he was doing. Passing a small book store, her found the diner and stay that Roy had told him, he saw it was still open. It was a tall white building, the main floor was a diner and the rest of the three floors were most likely where the guests stayed. Jason counted about five window in the front view, one per room?  
  
He fixed the bag slung over his shoulder and went to go inside the diner. The bell chimed when he entered and Jason caught sight of the very stereotypical diner, the walks were blue and white, and it had booths close to the window, tables on the center and stools on the bar all with the color scheme. Jason noticed he interrupted a conversation, in the stool was a thin boy, his black hair was long but parted in the middle, giving sort of a boyish look to him, his blue eyes are what caught him first.  
  
“Need a room sweetie?” The old lady who had peppered hair pulled back in a tight bun had snapped him out of his staring, he was still out of it.  
  
“Uh, yeah, just for one, can I pay in advanced?” He asked the lady and went to her to get his credit card.  
  
The old lady looked very strong from what he presumed her age was, she had on her uniform for working in the diner, and her dark eyes were sharp and very dark. “Of course, how long will you be staying?”  
  
“A month.” He said and gave her his credit card, showing the ID also to prove the card was his. “If I decide to stay longer, will that be alright with you?”  
  
“Long as you pay, I have no problem with you staying for a year.” The old lady said and left to go charge him.  
  
When the old lady left, Jason looked at the boy she was talking to, smiling at him. The boy, on the other hand didn’t even acknowledge him when he even came in the diner.  
  
“Sorry that I interrupted your conversation.” Jason said, the only thing he got in return was a small hum from the boy. “You work here?” He asked.  
  
When Jason was ignored yet again, he decided that maybe he should stop talking to the kid, he might have been shy in the first place. They stayed quiet, till the lady came back with his room key and credit card.  
  
“Alright, got you a decent room, the heater is good and the warm water doesn’t have any troubles so you’re good to go.” She said and showed Jason where to go to get up to the rooms.  
  
“Thanks, have a good night.” He said and looked at the boy, who he caught watching him at the moment. “Night.”  
  
“Good night,” he mumbled and gave a single nod.  
  
In the night, small towns are very quiet, even in the small tacky room Jason was in he couldn’t hear anything like he did in the city. In some way, it made him home sick, he had grown up to the noises of the city, it had lulled him when he slept, but the nice quietness was also welcoming.


	2. Chapter 2

Jason found that mornings on the small town was just as quiet as the night, when he woke up and had gotten out of the shower –very crappy shower head, and gotten his clothes on, he went down to the diner, just seeing a handful of people scattered around. First were the two police officers who he saw yesterday, finishing their shift with breakfast, then there were two old ladies in long skirts and very reserved shirts, they chattered and read the newspaper and then there was the boy he saw yesterday, he wore a white t-shirt and black jeans, Jason noticed his shoes were red beaten up sneakers. He sat next to the boy, smiling at him when he looked over at Jason, the boy went back to drinking the white coffee mug he had momentarily forgotten.

“Morning,” Jason looked at the waitress, instead of the old lady who was last night, he was greeted by a young dark skinned, curly haired brunette, with a very flashing smile. “Want a coffee before ordering?”

“Sure, um, _Lucy_.” He read the tag on her uniform, the waitress quickly hurried to get what he needed to get his coffee.

In the small chattering he enjoyed of the morning, Jason looked at the white shirt boy who was sipping on his coffee and looking down on the mug, of course the boy ignored him. He looked around the diner, seeing everyone in their own little world, it wasn’t long till Lucy came back with his coffee and sugar. He noticed that Lucy had given a plate of food for the boy next to him.

As he poured the sugar and stirred the coffee, Jason heard the small bells of the diner chime, he took a quick glance at the door and saw Roy, with a small black haired girl with him. His daughter possibly?

“You left your car in the bar.” Roy said to him, the girl sitting in the stool next to Jason.

The two of them wore matching black shirts, his read ‘if lost return to Lean’ and he already guessed what the girl’s shirt read.

“I was buzzed, I rather not get a ticket.” He said but Roy was looking passed him to the boy next to him.

“ _Tim_? I thought you were sick when I didn’t see the shop open.” Roy clasped his hand on the boys shoulder. “Nice to see you actually doing some _socializing_ , you’ve met Jason?”

The boy –Tim was a little taken back by how Roy suddenly grabbed him and was introducing him to Jason.

Jason smiled at Tim. “We’ve met, sorta.” He said to Roy. “Though, he doesn’t talk much.”

“He owns the flower shop I mentioned you, the one always cooped up in his little shop, but looks like he finally came out of his shell.” Roy looked more like a proud parent when he talked about Tim finally getting out of the shop, and Jason took sympathy, must be hard being Roy’s friend.

“Tim, Jason, this is my daughter Lean.” He finally introduced the small girl who was sat next to Jason. “Lean, honey, say hello to your dad’s friends. Don’t be rude.”

“She’s not rude,” Tim spoke. “You’re just a chatter box, Harper.”

Lean let out a small smile and giggle and Jason couldn’t agree more to the statement. The rest of the breakfast was more mentally challenging than anything, Roy talked nonstop about mostly everything –Jason noted he didn’t talk about religion because the two old ladies snickered at him when he commented on the pope. Breakfast ended on Lean reminding her father that she needed to get to school, and they both had left when they paid the bill.

“She’s a nice kid,” Jason said to Tim when they were left alone.

“Lean is a really nice girl, she’s not like her dad.” He said, drinking his third round of coffee. “What brings you to town for a month?”

“Bad breakup.” Jason sipped his coffee. He hadn’t said anyone much details, Roy knew some part of what happened but he didn’t know the whole story of it. He also hoped to tell no one of the details that had happened. “Roy said it’s common?”

“More than anyone thinks.” Tim said, he had a small smile, sympathetic even. “Most of my customers are people who’ve calmed down and go back home with some nice flowers and cheap wine. Pisses off the mayor, but at least the economy moves very steadily here.”

“Must be nice to run a flower shop then.” He said. “Who knows, maybe I’ll pass by before I leave, only problem is that I won’t have box wine. Ex-boyfriends kind of a pampered poodle.”

Jason heard the old ladies snickered, and Tim gave a small glance at them before leaning towards Jason. For a moment, there was something in his blue eyes that it had Jason remembering his ex, for a moment it ached, but then it was just a familiar feeling. “Be a little careful here, locals are strict when it comes to those subjects. The woman with the newspaper are the mayor’s sisters.”

“Didn’t know it would be a problem, Roy did tell me it wasn’t very common.” He said and he heard Tim chuckle softly, another familiar feeling that Jason wanted to punch out of his system.

“That’s because they see Roy with more women than men, let’s go to my shop, we can talk more freely.” Tim asked for their checks from Lucy, gave it to them quickly.

Jason took the check from Tim, putting his credit card of the two checks and giving them to Lucy. “I’m paying this one, no protesting.” He said and Tim just agreed, even if he did have a not very pleased look.

When Jason went to his shop, he saw how very movie like it was. The outside had grid windows, flowers were painted on the frames of the window and the division, the door was glass, a closed suction sign was hung up on it and it had cute stickers for the summer season. Inside, he was slapped by the smell of earth and flowers, all the flowers were put in either pots or in water, in the far back corner was a metal white spiral stairs and next to the window was the cash register, where it had an apron laying on top of the cash register.

“Does anyone else work with you?” Jason asked, looking around all the potted flowers and succulents that had price tags.

“I had a help wanted sign for three months, nobody came so I took it down.” Tim explained, going behind the counter to put on the apron, he also pulled opened the grid window. “All the teens want to work at the cash and carry, owners very clueless and they can sneak some snacks.”

Jason snorted, it reminded him when he did the same thing. He walked behind the counter with Tim and leaned back, his hands on the edge of the counter. Tim was punching in some numbers on the cash register.

“I can stop by to help you, I don’t have anything particular to keep me busy with.” Jason offered. “You don’t have to pay me, its volunteer work.”

“Flattered.”

“It gets me somewhere.”

“You pay my breakfast and now you want to work free for me?” Tim asked Jason, still punching some numbers in the cash register before it opened and he took out the money compartment. “If you’re so enthusiastic for doing something, I’m going to have ask you out of the jacket.”

“Take me to dinner first,” Tim snorted this time, and it made Jason smile wider. “Alright, alright, where’s my apron?”

Tim reached under the counter before he took out an apron, but even Tim knew it was too small for Jason. “I owe you an apron.” He said. “There are some soil in the storage I’ve been meaning to organize, but they’re too heavy for me, think you can do it?”

“I didn’t offer help if I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do it.”


	3. Chapter 3

After this, Jason hoped never to have to organize the different soils in his life. He had finished organizing everything in the storage, the heavy bags of soil where on the shelves Tim had told him, the clay pots were separated from the plastic ones, and the packs of seeds were nicely tucked in the shelves. Most of the work had taken him all day, the only break he got was in lunch, where Tim made him a fantastic pita bread chicken salad and cranberries.

It was around three in the afternoon when Jason heard the most annoying sound he thought a human could hear.

“Timmy!” A very high pitched female voice shouted, and Jason couldn’t resist to know what that was about.

When he walked out from the storage, cleaning his hands on his shirt, there was a girl almost on the counter. She had black hair tied back in two French braids, she wore clothes _had_ to be bought on online because the thrift store didn’t sell black crop tops, a leather waist skirt and ridiculously thigh length heels. Over all, Jason thought she was pretty, a model like girl, but there was a part of him that nagged this was the mayor’s daughter Roy had told him about.

She was sat at the counter in front of Tim, who ignored her. Her legs were crossed to show her legs as much as she could. She had a black backpack and a frozen drink next to where she sat.

“Tim, aunt Dorothy said you were with a guy this morning, she said he was gay.” Tim looked up at her and then back down to where he was doing some accounting.

“Coming from your aunt Dorothy, she must have said ‘ _one of them spawns from the north_ ’ because we know she can’t say gay.” The girl laughed –or faked it, Jason didn’t knew, but what he did know is that even he got a headache just listening to her.

“Oh my god,” She said. “You’re like _so_ right, Tim. She’s so old fashioned like _love is love_ why does she care about it?”

“What do you want Heather?” Tim said simply, he must have been tired from listening to her also.

The girl (Heather), inched a little closer to him from the counter, she leaned a little closer to him. “I was thinking, you know, Kyles parents are out of town for the weekend and maybe you can, I don’t know, take a weekend off and go with me to a hang out at his place?”

If there was one thing Jason knew about life, and he _a lot_ is that an invitation to a _hang out_ when parents are away for the weekend lead in three things: one is smoking, second are ridiculous games and third is possibly sex. Jason stayed back, he didn’t have a reason to stopped Tim in anything he chose to do.

“No.” He said simply.

“ _Tim,_ ” Heather whined. “You _never_ want to hang out with us! You’re like, the one of the only teenagers in this boring town. There won’t be any drinking like last time, I promise, I told Kyle no drinks, no smokes, no games except video games. You _have_ to come, do it for me.”

Jason wanted to snort, even _he_ wouldn’t do it for her if this what it was hanging out with Heather.

“The last time I _trusted_ you,” Tim snapped at her, the end of his pencil jabbed on her shoulder, pushing her back each word he said next. “ _You_ poured vodka in my soda, _you_ locked me inside a closet with you and _you_ forced yourself on me half drunk. If it wasn’t because I had dialed Roy for help it would have been a disaster.”

There was silence for a moment, Jason debated between going in to break it up or not, but he stayed back, he wanted to see what happened next but still kept a close eye.

“Oh my god, Tim.” Heather sounded offended by all the accusations and Jason didn’t have a reason to doubt anything he heard Tim say. “That was an accident, you are seriously offending me right now.”

Jason stepped forward to this, he pretended to clean his hands on his shirt as he walked to the counter. He smiled at Heather, who quickly got down from the counter when he saw Jason was more of an adult.

“Afternoon,” He said to the girl, who smiled and returned his hello. Jason then quickly looked at Tim who was back writing in his notebook, only this time he noticed the letter was darker from the pressure he was putting on. “Tim, I’m almost done with the storage, mind telling me how’s it looking for you?”

“I’ll go with you in a moment.” Tim had an edge to his voice. “Heather was leaving. Right now, she was leaving now.”

Jason looked at Heather who was slightly flushed, either from anger or embarrassment he didn’t knew, but one thing she did do was leave the shop. Jason went behind the counter and leaned his elbows on his the counter, he didn’t talk and Tim was just grumbling to himself. The two of them stayed quiet, it wasn’t till Tim broke the silence that was between them.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” He sounded calmer, and he had stopped writing on the notebook.

Jason hummed and looked at Tim, his hand brushed a piece of hair that was on Tim’s face and he swore he saw a blush creep from the younger boys cheeks. “It’s fine, I heard everything. You have a right to be angry. I’ll go back to work, tell you when the storage is clean.”

 

“You done, Jason?” Tim had went in the storage when it was almost closing time, he smiled at the work and walked around the more spacious storage. “ _Wow_ , you sure are.”

Jason dusted off his shirt, the black shirt had brown stairs and dust on it giving him a sneezing fit at the moment. Tim sneezed also, but he wasn’t _dying_ like Jason.

“Let’s go upstairs, I have some allergy medicine.” Tim waved a hand in front of his face and walked out of the storage with Jason close behind.

Up the spiral stairs, Jason was met with a contrast of atmosphere. The wooden floor was a dark color unlike the ones downstairs that gave a friendlier feeling, stepping in you met a single blue couch, just big enough for three people, there was also a coffee table with scattered magazines of _National Geographic’s_ and a magazines he’s never heard of called _Technological Science_. Next to where the small living room was there was a sunken space, where it now served as a desk area, the sleek laptop was turned on and waiting for the password to be typed in.

“Are you allergic to aspirin?” Tim asked, being in the kitchen that was really just a few steps behind the couch and divided with a countertop.

“No, not really.” He sniffed and went to the counter, leaning his elbows on them as Tim went to give him water and two small oval pills. He didn’t think twice on chugging down the pills to rid him of the hell that his allergies gave him.

“You worked really hard today, and helped me a lot.” Tim said. “And I never thanked you for earlier.”

He didn’t think Tim would bring back the topic, even so, he tried to wave it away finding no way out of it.

“No, really, I’m really thankful for coming in that time. I owe you.” Tim insisted. “I might have strangled her if she kept pestering me, you don’t know how hard it is.”

“Relax, I know how bothering a girl you don’t like can be.” He said, a small smile on his lips. “Although, if you do want to repay me in a way, how about this weekend?”

“What about this weekend?” Tim asked, and Jason didn’t know if he was playing coy or being honest in his question.

“This weekend we go out, when was the last time you went out for some fun?” He asked and saw how Tim flushed again, this time a bit more color in his cheeks. “You won’t regret it, it’ll be fun just the two of us.”

Tim took his cup with water and went to put them in the sink, he washed them like he was thinking on Jason’s offer to go out this weekend, maybe even organizing the things he’ll have to do so he wouldn’t have late work.

“I’ll take your offer on a nice ride.” He said and went to Jason. “You want to take a shower here? I can get your clothes, give me your room key.”

Jason reached in his pocket, he had his car keys, his phone that was turned off for various reasons and then he took out his room key, giving it to Tim. “Thanks Tim.”

“The bathroom is the second room on the right.” Tim said taking they keys and going down the stairs.

When he saw Tim leave, Jason looked back at his phone in the counter top, it took him some time and will power to not turn it on, the only reason he even had it was of bad habit. He picked the phone, looking at it for a moment before he put it down, the screen faced down and walking away from it to the showers.

He’s going to need more than a month.

**Author's Note:**

> My first story on this website, I hope you enjoy! Please leave your suggestions if anything is wrong or any suggestions. Thank You.


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